Virtual Reality Gaining Ground in Africa

Virtual reality, or VR, is practically nonexistent in Africa. However, the continent’s cutting-edge creatives are finding ways to leverage this technology to tell African stories in new ways. For example, African fashion designers, game developers and animators are exploring ways in which VR can be used to create immersive experiences for audiences thereby promoting their brands and subsequently challenging the dominant negative narrative about Africa.

One such creative is a science fiction writer from Accra, Ghana, Jonathan Dotse, who experimented with the technology to produce a short VR film called Pandora.

As with any new technology, commercialization is key and Africa is certainly not exempt from these challenges as cost and access remain barriers to penetration and adoption. The potential for VR on the continent is huge and I’m excited to see how the technology is exploited once these barriers are overcome.